Fu Qianyu was stunned when she heard the news suddenly. She had hardly seen Concubine Xi since she was canonized as a noble concubine last year.
The last time they met was during the Lantern Festival. I heard that she fell ill at the beginning of summer. During that time, Fu Qianyu asked Lingyun to visit her several times.
Every time Lingyun came back, she said that the imperial concubine was in good spirits. It had only been a short time, how could she suddenly become ill?
Without waiting for Baozan to say anything, Fu Qianyu had already ordered the sedan chair to be prepared.
When they arrived at Changxin Palace, Concubine Lian and Concubine Hui had also arrived. Both of them looked unhappy, especially Concubine Lian.
She had a pretty good relationship with the Imperial Concubine, and she must have been frightened by the sudden bad news about the Imperial Concubine, as her face looked a little pale.
The three of them hurried in and just saw Qiancao coming out with medicine. As soon as she saw them, she knelt on the ground and burst into tears.
"Empress, please summon the imperial physician. Our master..."
By the end, Qiancao was practically in tears. Fu Qianyu frowned and asked her, "Why? Your master refuses to summon the imperial physician?"
Concubine Lian sighed and said, "Ever since the Imperial Concubine fell ill, she has been reluctant to take medicine, and the Imperial Physician has refused to see her. I have tried to dissuade her several times, but the Imperial Concubine is worried about her health."
Fu Qianyu's eyes darkened, and she turned her head to instruct Peirong, "Go and ask Imperial Physician Qin to come over."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
Qiancao cried with joy and hurriedly stood up to welcome the three people in. As soon as Fu Qianyu entered the door, she felt a strong sense of decline.
Concubine Xi used to love luxurious things the most, and Zhilin Palace was always magnificent, but now all these things are gone.
Wherever I looked, it seemed to be covered with a thick layer of dust, especially the person on the bed, who seemed to be about to pass away soon.
Doctor Qin arrived quickly. After taking Fu Qianyu's pulse, he shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your Majesty is on the verge of death."
Upon hearing the sound, Qiancao covered her mouth and burst into tears. Her eyes, which were covered with hope, darkened again. Concubine Lian also started crying. Concubine Hui was worried about her health and hurriedly helped her out.
Not long after, Concubine Xi woke up. Seeing the person sitting beside the bed, she was stunned for a moment, then laughed again: "After all, you came to see me."
"Why didn't you call the imperial physician when you were sick? The Concubine Xi I knew was never like this."
The imperial concubine coughed a few times, and a smile appeared on her gloomy face: "I have done too many wrong things. This is God punishing me."
Fu Qianyu lowered her eyes and said nothing. The imperial concubine continued, "You know what? I've passed by your palace gate several times and wanted to go in and talk to you, but I know you probably don't want to see me. I've thought a lot about this over the past few years. If I say sorry to you now, will you forgive me?"
"It's all in the past, why do you take it to heart?"
The imperial concubine shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "If you do something wrong, you should be punished. I deserve what I'm in now."
"Don't overthink it. Take your medicine and take good care of yourself. You're already a Noble Consort now, and in two years you'll be an Imperial Noble Consort. If another concubine of a lower rank in the palace gives birth to a child, I'll ask the Emperor to raise it with you, okay?"
The imperial concubine smiled faintly, her voice growing weaker and weaker. "I can't wait any longer, and besides, how can someone like me be worthy of raising an imperial heir? But, hearing you say that, I'm really happy. You've forgiven me, haven't you?"
Fu Qianyu reached out and held the imperial concubine's hand. Her hands used to be as tender as peeled lychees, but now they were so thin that only a bag of bones remained.
"How could I not forgive you?" Fu Qianyu leaned over and said softly, "Fengyi Palace has already prepared tea for you, but I have been waiting for a long time and still haven't seen you."
Upon hearing this, the imperial concubine burst into tears and choked up, saying, "If I hadn't been possessed by a ghost back then, perhaps we could have been sisters, right?"
"Not then, but now. Now we are sisters."
Hearing this, the imperial concubine became more and more excited. She held Fu Qianyu's hand tightly and said word by word: "Sister, I have one last wish. Can you help me fulfill it?"
Tears gradually blurred her vision. Fu Qianyu nodded: "You said, as long as I can do it, I will definitely do it for you."
The imperial concubine murmured, "I have struggled all my life for my family and its glory. I am so exhausted. When I die, I don't want to be buried in the imperial mausoleum. I want to be free."
Fu Qianyu was stunned. She knew this was against the rules, but she still agreed: "Okay, I promise you."
The imperial concubine relaxed all over, her breathing became faster, and her gaze towards Fu Qianyu gradually became blurred. She turned her head to look out the window, smiling slightly: "The flowers in the yard are blooming again, aren't they? How wonderful! I love spring the most. In February, when the grass is green and the birds are singing, that kind of weather is perfect for riding..."
The hand in her palm sank slowly, and when Fu Qianyu came to her senses, the person on the bed had already closed his eyes.
Although there were tears in the corners of her eyes, the smile on her mouth was so bright...
The imperial concubine died at the age of nineteen.
Life is so short...
The Yun family had made great military achievements, and Zhao Yuancheng even gave the concubine posthumous honors, canonizing her as the Imperial Noble Consort with the posthumous title of Zhaohui, and Fu Qianyu also fulfilled her last wish.
He secretly ordered someone to perform a trick to replace the prince with a cat.
When Haining came back to report, he told Fu Xiyu that the body of the imperial concubine had been sent back to the Yun family, and General Yun thanked the queen for her grace.
Time passed quickly, and it was spring again. Concubine Lian gave birth to another son in the spring of that year and named him Jingli.
Before the summer came, news came from the princess's mansion that Princess Changwan was more than a month pregnant.
Everyone inside and outside the palace was very happy, but because the border was not peaceful, Zhao Yuancheng did not want to send Fu Mingxu to the battlefield at this time, but there was really no one available in the court.
Fortunately, Changwan was righteous and was the first to stand up and support her husband in leading the troops into battle.
The battle lasted for half a year. When the news of the great victory reached the capital, it was almost winter. Zhao Yuancheng was very happy and ordered rewards for the three armies.
Everything seemed safe inside and outside the palace, but Zhao Yuancheng's health was getting worse.
He had been suffering from a cough since the beginning of summer last year. Although the Imperial Hospital had served diligently over the past year, there were constant matters of varying sizes at court.
During this period, Zhao Yuancheng was always taking medicine with him and looked much more haggard.
Imperial Physician Qin told Fu Qianyu privately that the emperor's health might not last much longer, perhaps just one or two years, so he asked her to prepare early.
Once Zhao Yuancheng passed away, the prince would undoubtedly ascend the throne smoothly, but the new emperor was too young, and no one could predict what kind of uproar would be caused in the court.
By then, the only one who could support the new emperor would be herself, besides Prince Gong.
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